CLERMONT, Fla. – Softball closed play in Florida with two more wins on Saturday, Mar. 7 as the Knights defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology 12-4 in six innings before taking down Hope College 11-8 in a back-and-forth battle.
Wartburg has now won six-straight games to close play in Florida with an 8-2 record after competing in both the Spring Break Games and Space Coast Games. The Knights are averaging 11 runs scored per game over their winning streak and three of the wins have come by mercy rule.
Game Summary
- vs New England College
- Second Inning
- After one hit for each team in the opening inning, Wartburg got the scoring started in the bottom half of the second with three hits that turned into two runs
- Carley Bredar singled and stole second base before being brought home by a triple to right center field from Alexis Larson for the first run of the game
- Larson scored after Rylie Metz hit a sacrifice fly to left field to make the score 2-0
- Third Inning
- Wentworth used two infield singles to set up an RBI single that cut Wartburg's lead to 2-1 headed to the bottom half
- Reagan Hassel singled to center field and Jenna Wiebenga walked to put two runners on, but the Knights were unable to bring another runner across
- Fourth Inning
- With Jillian Panther still in the circle, the Knights put Wentworth down in order in the top half of the fourth before breaking the game open in the bottom half with a four-run inning to take a 6-1 lead
- Larson, Metz and Ally Happ all reached base to load the bases, where Addy Wells brought home Larson with a sacrifice fly
- Following a double steal, Liz Kruckenberg brought Metz home with a fielder choice
- Hassel added another sacrifice fly and then Bella Mulder closed out the scoring in inning four with an RBI-single to center field
- Fifth Inning
- The Leopards got another run back in the fifth inning after an RBI-triple made the score 6-2 before Wartburg's at bat in the bottom half
- Larson added a Wartburg insurance run in the fifth with a solo-shot homer to put the Knights in front 7-2 headed to the sixth inning
- Sixth Inning
- Wentworth continued to fight as they brought two runs across on one hit to cut the Wartburg lead to 7-4
- Wartburg ended the game in the bottom of the sixth with a five-run bottom of the inning to secure a 12-4 mercy rule win
- Wells, Kruckenberg and Hassel all singled to begin the inning before Mulder brought two runner home with a single and then the next at bat Wiebenga doubled to bring two more across
- The game ended on a wild pitch that allowed Wiebenga to score from third
- vs Hope
- Second Inning
- Hassel singled in the first inning and Wells doubled in the second inning, but Wartburg was kept off the scoreboard headed to the bottom of the second inning
- Hope used a lead-off triple followed by a single and a double to bring two runs across before another runner scored after a groundout to make the score 3-0
- Third Inning
- Hassel and Mulder both reached base to begin the third before Wiebenga singled to bring Wartburg's first run home
- Katelyn Klever singled and then Mulder reached on a fielders choice that brought home another run to make the score 3-2
- Bredar singled to bring both runners home to give Wartburg a 4-3 lead headed to the bottom half
- Fourth Inning
- Wartburg added another run in the following inning after back-to-back doubles from Hassel and Mulder that put Wartburg in front by two, 5-3
- The Knights' defense stranded runners for a second-straight inning to keep the score the same headed to the fifth
- Fifth Inning
- Klever led off the fifth with a home run to push the lead to 6-3
- Hope got one run back in the bottom half after a lead-off single followed by a double to bring the score to 6-4
- Sixth Inning
- Kruckenberg singled and was eventually scored after a double from Mulder to give Wartburg a 7-4 lead headed to the bottom of the sixth
- Hope put together a four-run sixth inning to retake the lead 8-7 after a triple and three singles
- Seventh Inning
- Larson singled and Wells walked to put runners on first and second for the Knights and then both runners advanced to put runners in scoring position for Amanda Strzyzewski, who reached on a fielder's choice and tied the game at 8-8
- Kruckenberg singled to bring another Wartburg score across and Strzyzewski advanced home on a passed ball one batter later to make the score 10-8
- Kruckenberg eventually stole home on a double steal with Hassel to bring Wartburg's lead to 11-8 headed to the final frame
- The Knights worked around a couple of defensive errors to keep Hope off the board to give Wartburg a 11-8 win
Top Performers
- vs New England College
- vs Hope
- Bella Mulder
- 3/5 at the plate
- Two RBI
- Two doubles
- One run scored
- Carley Bredar
- 2/4 at the plate
- Two RBI
- Two stolen bases
- Double
- Katelyn Klever
- 2/4 at the plate
- Two runs scored
- One RBI
- HR
- 5.0 IP
- Win
- Four strikeouts
Notes/Streaks
- Wartburg is now 10-4 overall this season
- Second career home run for Klever
- Second home run of the season for Larson
- Panther is now 3-0 in and Klever is now 4-2 in pitching decisions
- Following the trip to Florida, four Knights have 10+ RBI this season:
- Wiebenga (21), Mulder (19), Hassel (17) and Larson (14)
- Mulder has reached base in every game this season and Hassel is right behind with her last 13-straight games
- Hassel has a 13-game hitting streak
- Seven different Knights recorded an RBI in game one and six different Knights recorded an RBI in game two
- Nine extra-base hits across both wins today
Next Time Out
Wartburg's next time on the diamond will be its home opener in a nonconference doubleheader against Millikin University on Saturday, Mar. 21 beginning at 3 p.m.
